COLUMBIANA, Alabama -- The City of Columbiana is looking
to enhance its recycling program that uses state money by enlisting someone to
help guide activities and increase grant funding.

Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley wants to expand the city's recycling efforts through the use of a state grant.

Mayor Stancil Handley at Tuesday night's City Council
meeting asked for support to build the recycling program under the state grant
funding. "I need someone on this council who's got a passion for recycling to
step forward and drive this train," he said.

Although no one from the council volunteered at the
meeting, Handley said the group could get someone from the community.

"I sure don't want to let this die. This is too good for
the city," he said.

Handley cited recycling programs in other cities that
receive funding for trucks and employees through the state grant. "Our
philosophy was to start small and if we were successful, a little bigger, a
little bigger," he said.

The goal is to gradually increase the recycling
opportunities in Columbiana and grow the roughly $8,000 the city receives from
the state, the mayor said.

"We told them we would like to have a newspaper recycling
bin and have it at the Humane Society," he said.

The mayor encouraged the board and others at the meeting
to help find someone to lead the recycling efforts. "Talk to your constituents
and ask them to contact me. We'll form a committee," he said, wanting to get
someone by the board's next meeting.